SOHRAB ; 

AND 
RUSTUM k} 




Sobrab anb IRustum 



BY 

MATTHEW ARNOLD 



With Introduction and Explanatory N(3Tes 



M. A. EATON, B. A. 



EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING COMPANY 

BOSTON 
New York Chicago San Francisco 






48 65 55 

AUG 1 4 1942 



INTRODUCTION. 



LIFE OF ARNOLD. 

Matthew Arnold wrote at a time when 
English life and English thought were 
much in need of broadening their horizons 
and throwing off the shackles of a narrow 
provinciahsm. Life was characterized by 
a certain dryness both of intellect and 
emotion, which was especially shown in 
the religion and science of the period. 
The Oxford movement was in some sense a 
protest against this attitude of mind, and 
Arnold, although in a very different way, 
uttered as strong a plea for a richer and 
more wide reaching spiritual life. His 
mission to Englishmen was, as he explains 
in the preface to one of his volumes of 
essays, to help them "conquer the hard 
unintelligence, which was just then their 
bane ; to supple and reduce it by culture, 



8 INTRODUCTION. 

by a growth in the variety, fullness, and 
sweetness of then- spiritual life." 

Matthew Arnold was born at Laleham, 
December 24, 1822. His father was Dr. 
Thomas Arnold, the famous head-master of 
Rugby, who perhaps did more for the 
reform of education in England than any 
other sino'le man. The son was educated 
at Winchester and Rugby, where he won 
high rank as a scholar, and in 1840 
entered Balliol College, Oxford. 

Here he became one of a choice circle of 
friends all of whom were more or less influ- 
enced bv the ferment in relio^ious thouoht 
which culminated in the so-called Oxford 
movement. Tw^o of the most famous of 
these friends were R. W. Church, who 
afterward became Dean of St. Paul's, and 
Arthur Henry Clough, the poet, whose 
intimacy with Arnold was much like that 
which existed between Tennyson and 
Arthur Hallam. 

When Clough died, under similar cir- 
cumstances, Arnold wrote the elegy of 
" Thyrsis " to his memory, one of the most 



INTRODUCTION. 9 

tender and beautiful poems of the kind in 
the English language. 

At college the young writer's poetical 
genius began to show itself and his poem 
on " Cromwell " gained hiDi the Newdigate 
Prize for English poetry. He was very 
popular with all his fellows and, as one of 
his friends said of him, '' His perfect self- 
possession, the sallies of his ready wit, the 
humorous turn which he could give to any 
subject that he handled, his gaiety, exu- 
berance, versatility, audacity, and unfailing 
command of words," made him one of the 
most brilliant members of the University. 

These are qualities which are continually 
appearing in his writings, more particularly 
in his prose, where he often seems to dis- 
guise his real earnestness and sincerity of 
purpose under a seeming nonchalance and 
half laughing contempt of himself and his 
subject, which have deceived many into 
thinking him a mere diletantte where he is 
really most in earnest. 

Another quality in Arnold's prose is 
traceable to his Oxford life. While he was 



10 INTRODUCTION. 

in college, Newman seceded to the Church 
of Kome, and this event and all the attend- 
ant circumstances, stirred him deeply in 
spite of the radical tendency of his 
thouofht. The admiration for ancient and 
established forms, which Newman did so 
much to inculcate in England, is very notice- 
able in Arnold's writings even where he 
most shows the ao^nostic bent of his mind. 
In 1847, Arnold became private secre- 
tary to Lord Lansdowne and remained in 
that capacity four years. He became 
deeply interested in the cause of public 
education, and in 1851, soon after his 
marriage, he received the appointment of 
Lay Inspector of Schools. For nearly 
thirty-five years, he g;ave his time and the 
wealth of his brilliant and keen intellect 
to the cause of secondary education in 
England. Twice he went abroad to study 
the school systems of the continent and his 
reports upon the foreign system, as well as 
upon the progress of public schools at 
home are among the most valuable con- 
tributions to educational literature. 



INTRODUCTION. 11 

Arnold was essentially a poet. Even in 
his most critical writings the sensitive and 
emotional nature of his mind shows itself, 
and it is significant that his first pub- 
lished work was a little volume of poems 
called " The Strayed Reveller, and Other 
Poems, by A," issued in 1848. A new 
volume appeared in 1853, and these poems 
soon won for him the Professorship of 
Poetry at Oxford. While there he wrote 
his celebrated " Lectures on Translating 
Homer," and the ^^ Essays in Criticism." 

The latter volume embodies Arnold's 
philosophy of life and literature more com- 
pletely, perhaps than any of his other writ- 
ings and his exposition of the true function 
of the critic is not to be paralleled in English 
literature. Perhaps, no critic save Saint- 
Beuve, had ever before viewed his subject 
with such sympathetic and far seeing eyes, 
Buch an absence of insular prejudice, such 
keen insight tempered with a sweet reason- 
ableness." 

This volume was followed by a long 
series of critical works and essays. The 



12 INTRODUCTION. 

most important of them was " Culture and 
Anarchy," published in 1870. To Arnold, 
culture was the true method for overcom- 
ing the limitations which prevent man from 
attaining to the perfect type of life. The 
function of the critic is to compare the 
existing and defective types and to point 
out their faults and weaknesses. " The 
great aim of culture," he asserts, "is the aim 
of setting ourselves to ascertain what per- 
fection is and to make it prevail." 

Such a critic Arnold himself aspired to 
be, and he lost no opportunity both of 
pointing out the inadequacy of material 
science to furnish a philosophy of life, and 
of the danger which religion suffered from 
the wilful blindness of dogmatic philoso- 
phy. The intellect must not develop at 
the expense of the soul, nor must the soul 
fetter and cripple the mind. Life attains 
its real end only when intellect and spirit 
are developed harmoniously and all preju- 
dices and things unsound have been aban- 
doned in the quest for what is real and 
beautiful. 



INTRODUCTION. 13 

And just here Arnold shows himself the 
poet again, for in his eyes, the highest 
type is that which possesses the greatest 
refinement, and to which things appear in 
their spiritual aspect. " He is the happy 
man, who, encumbering himself with the 
love of nothing which is not beautiful, 
is able to embrace the greatest number of 
things beautiful in his life." And the 
happy man, in this case, is also the good 
and great man. 

Arnold's death occurred on April 15, 
1889, and in him his age lost one of its 
finest and most sensitive spirits. He felt too 
deeply himself the spiritual unrest of the 
age, " the strange disease of modern life," 
to offer men a positive and hopeful relig- 
ious ideal. He, as they, had nothing 
adequate to offer for the religion so many 
had lost, but he could still insist that 
life was spiritual, at a time when the 
material aspect threatened to take the place 
which religion had filled, and by showing 
men the beauty of a wider and more com- 
prehensive culture, prepare their minds 



14 INTRODUCTION. 

for a far deeper realization of religious 
truth. 

As a poet, Arnold showed many of the 
finest qualities of classic writers and his 
admiration for Greek poetry has colored 
the style and structure of his own. To 
him poetry was " at bottom a criticism of 
life," and " the greatness of a poet lies in 
his powerful and beautiful application of 
ideas to life ; to the question : How to live." 
His verse is characterized by grace and 
refinement, and a beautiful dignity of self- 
restraint. The longer poems, indeed, miss 
the true epic swiftness — that is a gift 
which seems denied to our sophisticated 
age — but they possess a terseness and 
simplicity, with a sustained elevation of 
style, which approach very near to the 
"^ grand manner " of the Greek classics. 

Arnold's principal works, other than 
those mentioned, are " St. Paul and Prot- 
estantism, " '' Literature and Dogma, " 
" God and the Bible," " Last Essays on 
Church and Religion," "The Study of 
Celtic Literature," " Friendship's Gar- 



INTRODUCTION. 15 

land," " Mixed Essays, " " Irish Essays, " 
" Discourses in America," " Complete 
Poems " and " Essays in Criticism, Second 
Series." 



THE STORY OF SOHRAB AND 
RUSTUM. 

The story of Sohrab and Rustum is only 
an episode in the Persian epic, the " Shah- 
Namah," or " Books of the King," which 
is to Persia what the " Nibelungen Lied " 
is to Germany. Its author was a learned 
Arabian scholar named Abul Casim Man- 
sur, born about 941 B. C. The Sultan of 
Persia wished an epic to be written that 
should celebrate the legendary heroes of 
Persia, and a contest of poets was arranged, 
that one might be chosen for the task. 
At one of these contests Abul improvised 
so successfully that the name of Firdusi 
(paradise) was bestowed upon him, because, 
as the Sultan said, he had made the court 
a paradise. 



16 INTRODUCTION. 

Firdusi won the appointment, and for 
thirty years he labored at his task. He 
wrote sixty thousand verses and for each 
verse had been promised a gold piece, with 
which he intended to build a dike for his 
native town of Tus. Accordingly, when 
the payment was made in silver, the angry 
poet sent back the gift with scorn and for 
many years lived a wandering life. At 
last in his old aae he returned to his native 
town to die, and as his body was borne out 
of the town, the camels of the repentant 
Sultan entered, bearing the promised gold. 
As a tribute to the poet's memory, the 
great stone dike of Tus was built with the 
gold. 

The original story of Sohrab and Rus- 
tum was as follows : 

Once, while the great Persian hero, Rus- 
tum, was hunting near the borders of 
Turan, some young men of the province 
stole away his famous horse, Ruksh. In 
great wrath, Rustum went to the king in 
the city of Samangan, who received him 
kindly and restored his horse. Here he 



INTRODUCTION. 17 

was entertained with royal splendor and fell 
in love with the beautiful princess, Tah- 
minah. After their marriage, however, 
Rustum's adventurous spirit ' revived and 
he departed in search of fresh conquests, 
leaving his bride an amulet of onyx, which 
she was to fasten upon their child to 
shield it from harm. If the child was a 
girl the amulet was to be worn in the hair, 
but if a boy, upon the arm. 

The child proved to be a son, but Tah- 
minah feared that if Rustum heard of it he 
would take the boy from her, so she sent 
him word that it was a orirl. The father 
took no more interest in the child, and the 
boy Sohrab grew up a brave and fearless 
youth, like the great Rustum himself. 
Afrasiab, the Tartar King, conceived a 
great fancy for him and gave him a promi- 
nent place in his army, but Sohrab's one 
desire was to find his father, who was 
Afrasiab's enemy. The crafty king hoped 
that when his Tartar hordes marched upon 
the kingdom of the Sultan, Kai Kaoos, 
Sohrab would unwittingly slay his mighty 



18 INTRODUCTION. 

father, and thus the kingdom would fall a 
prey to its enemies. Therefore he con- 
cealed Rustum's presence in the Persian 
army from Sohrab. 

Great was the terror of the Persians at 
the approach of the Tartar army, especially 
since the Sultan had angered Rustum, who 
refused to fight, and sulked in his tent. At 
last, however, after the Sultan himself had 
asked pardon, and sent him rich gifts, 
Rustum prepared for the contest. 

When the two armies were face to face 
on the banks of the Oxus, Sohrab chal- 
lenged Kai Kaoos to single combat, but he 
sent Rustum in his place. Both combat- 
ants felt a premonition of the true state of 
affairs, but the combat began and they 
fought until sundown and they were both 
wearied out. In the night Sohrab sought 
Haman and demanded to know whether 
his foe was the great Rustum or not. But 
Haman pretended ignorance and next day 
the battle was renewed. Again they 
fought until the day was done and another 
night they rested. 



INTRODUCTION. 19 

When the day dawned Rustum rushed 
upon Sohrab and threw him to the earth 
with such force that his back was broken. 
He bore down his sword to kill him, when 
Sohrab cried : " I sped not forth for empty 
glory, but I went to seek my father, for 
my mother had told me by what tokens I 
should know him, and T perish for longing 
after him. And now have my pains been 
fruitless, for it hath not been given unto 
me to look upon his face. Yet 1 say unto 
thee, if thou shouldst become a fish that 
swimmeth in the depths of the ocean, if 
thou shouldst change into a star that is 
concealed in the farthest heaven, my father 
would draw thee forth from thy hiding 
place and avenge my death upon thee 
when he shall learn that the earth is 
become my bed. For my father is Rustum 
the Pehliva, and it shall be told unto him 
how that Sohrab, his son, perished in the 
quest after his face." Thereupon he 
showed Rustum the amulet and died. 

Rustum burned his tent, his throne and 
his arms, crying that his heart was " sick 



20 INTRODUCTION. 

unto death/' and bore his son's body to 
Seistan, where he placed it in a splendid 
tomb. Rustum never knew joy again and 
when the news reached Samangan, the old 
king tore his garments, and Tahminah^ 
after mourning a year, died of grief. 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

AN EPISODE. 

And the first gray of morning filled the 

east, 
And the fog rose out of the Oxus stream. 
But all the Tartar camp along the stream 
Was hushed, and still the men were 

plunged in sleep ; 
Sohrab alone, he slept not ; all night long ^ 
He had lain wakeful, tossing on his bed ; 
But when the gray dawn stole into his 

tent, 

1. And. This form of introduction emphasizes th^ 
fact that the poem is only an episode. 

2. Oxus. The principal river of Central Asia, now 
known as Amu Daria. 

3. Tartar. Chinese tribes of Manchuria and Mon- 
golia. These tribes, with Turks and Mongols, in the 
Middle Ages, swept over Asia and threatened the 
peace of Europe. 

5. Sohrab. Pronounced so'rab. 

7. Gray dawn. Shakespeare speaks of the ''Morn 
in russet mantle clad." 



22 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

He rose, and clad himself, and girt his 

sword, 
And took his horseman's cloak, and left his 

tent. 
And went abroad into the cold wet fog ^° 
Through the dim camp to Peran-Wisa's 

tent. 

Through the black Tartar tents he 

passed, which stood 
Clustering like beehives on the low flat 

strand 
Of Oxus, where the summer floods overflow 
When the sun melts the snows in high 

Pamere ; ^^ 

Through the black tents he passed, o'er 

that low strand. 
And to a hillock came, a little back 

8. And. This repetition of and is common in the 
English Bible. " And the servant biou.ijht forth jewels 
of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and jjave 
them to Rebekah : And they did eat and drink, he and 
the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and 
they rose np in the morning, and he said, Send me away 
unto my master." 

11. Peran-Wisa. fpe' ran we' sa) The commander 
of King Afrasiab's army. 

15. Pamere. (pa meer') A plateau in the Himalayas 
where the Oxus has its source. 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 23 

From the stream's brink — the spot where 

first a boat, 
Crossing the stream in summer, scrapes the 

land. 
The men of former times had crowned the 

top 
With a clay fort ; but that was fall'n, and 

now 
The Tartars built there Peran-Wisa's tent, 
A dome of laths, and o'er it felts were spread. 
And Sohrab came there, and went in, and 

stood 
Upon the thick piled carpets in the tent, ^* 
And found the old man sleeping on his bed 
Of rugs and felts, and near him lay his arms. 
And Peran-Wisa heard him, though the step 
Was dulled ; for he slept light, an old man's 

sleep ; 
And he rose quickly on one arm, and said : ^^ 

. " Who art thou ? for it is not yet clear 

dawn. 
Speak ! is there news, or any night alarm ?" 

29, Slept light. Corapare " Romeo and Juliet," ii. 3 : 
" Care keeps his watch in every old man's eye, 
And where care lodges sleep will never lie." 



24 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

But Sohrab came to the bedside, and said : 
" Thou know'st me, Peran-Wisa ! it is I. 
The sun is not yet risen, and the foe ^ 
Sleep ; but I sleep not ; all night long 

Hie 
Tossing and wakeful, and I come to thee. 
For so did King Afrasiab bid me seek 
Thy counsel, and to heed thee as thy 

son, 
In Samarcand, before the army marched ; *^ 
And I will tell thee what my heart desires. 
Thou know'st if, since from Ader-baijan 

first 
I came among the Tartars and bore arms, 
I have still served Afrasiab well, and shown. 
At my boy's years, the courage of a man. *^ 
This too thou know'st, that while I still 

bear on 
The conquering Tartar ensigns through the 

world. 
And beat the Persians back on every field, 

40. Samarcand. (sam-ar-kand'.) The capital of 
Timur in Turkestan. Its ancient name was Maracanda, 
and it was captured by Jenghiz Klian in 1219. 

42. Ader-baijan. (iid'er-bi-yan'.) A province of 
Northern Persia. 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 25 

I seek one man, one man, and one alone — 
Rustum, my father; who I hoped should 

greet, ^^ 

Should one day greet, upon some well- 
fought field, 
His not unworthy, not inglorious son. 
So I long hoped, but him I never find. 
Come then, hear now, and grant me what 1 

ask. 
Let the two armies rest to-day ; but I ^^ 

Will challenge forth the bravest Persian 

lords 
To meet me, man to man ; if I prevail, 
Rustum will surely hear it ; if I fall — 
Old man, the dead need no one, claim no 

kin. 
Dim is the rumor of a common fight, ®^ 
Where host meets host, and many names are 

sunk ; 
But of a single combat fame speaks 

clear." 



50. Biistiim. (roos'tnra.) A lesrendary hero of the 
Persians who figures in all their epics. He is supposed 
to have lived about 600 B. C. 

60. Common fight. A general baltle between all the 
troops. 



26 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

He spoke ; and Peran-Wisa took the hand 
Of the young man in his, and sighed, and 
said: 

" Sohrab, an unquiet heart is thine ! ^ 
Canst thou not rest among the Tartar chiefs, 
And share the battle's common chance with 

us 
Who love thee, but must press forever first, 
In single fight incurring single risk. 
To find a father thou hast never seen ? '° 
That were far best, my son, to stay with us 
Unmurmuring ; in our tents, while it is war, 
And when 'tis truce, then in Afrasiab's 

towns. 
But, if this one desire indeed rules all. 
To seek out Rustum — seek him not through 

fight ! '' 

Seek him in peace, and carry to his arms, 
Sohrab, carry an unwounded son ! 
But far hence seek him, for he is not 

here. 
For now it is not as when I was young. 
When Rustum was in front of every fray ; ^ 
But now he keeps apart, and sits at home, 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 27 

In Seistan, with Zal, his father old. 
Whether that his own mighty strength at 

last 
Feels the abhorred approaches of old age, 
Or in some quarrel with the Persian 

King. '' 

There go ! — thou wilt not ? Yet my heart 

forebodes 
Danger or death awaits thee on this field. 
Fain would I know thee safe and well, 

though lost 
To us ; fain therefore send thee hence, in 

peace 
To seek thy father, not seek single fights ^^ 
In vain — but who can keep the lion's cub 
From ravening, and who govern Rustum's 

son ? 
Go, I will grant thee what thy heart 

desires." 

82. Seistan. (sa-es-tan'.) A province and lake situ- 
ated in Afghanistaa. 

82. Zal. Another Persian hero celebrated in legend. 

83. Whether that. Either because. 

85. Or. Supply " because of ." 

92. Bavening. Compare Ezekiel xxii. 2o : " Like a 
roaring lion ravening the prey." 



28 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

So said he, and dropped Sohrab's hand> 
and left 
His bed, and the warm rugs whereon he 

lay; 
And o'er his chilly limbs his woolen coat 
He passed, and tied his sandals on his 

feet, 
And threw a white cloak round him, and 

he took 
In his right hand a ruler's staff, no sword ; 
And on his head he set his sheepskin 

100 

cap. 
Black, glossy, curled, the fleece of Kara- 

Kul; 
And raised the curtain of his tent, and 

called 
His herald to his side, and went abroad. 

The sun by this had risen, and cleared 
the fog 
From the broad Oxus and the glittering 

1 105 

sands. 
And from their tents the Tartar horsemen 
filed 

101. Eara-KuJ. (ka'ra-kool.) Famous grazing lands 
for sbeep in Bokhara. 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 29 

Into the open plain ; so Haman bade — 
Haman, who next to Peran-Wisa ruled 
The host, and still was in his lusty prime. 
From their black tents, long files of horse, 

they streamed ; ^^® 

As when some gray November morn the files, 
In marching order spread, of long-necked 

cranes 
Stream over Casbin and the southern slopes 
Of Elburz, from the Aralian estuaries, 
Or some frore Caspian reed-bed, southward 

bound ^^^ 

107. Haman. (ha'manj In the Persian poem he is 
aware of Rustum's presence, but deceives the son 
about it. 

112. Cranes. Compare Homer's " Iliad," Bk. ii. ; 
♦' And as when water-fowl of many tribes — 

Geese, cranes, and long-necked swans — disport them- 
selves 
In Asia's fields beside Cayster's streams, 
And to and fro they fly with screams, and light, 
Flock after flock, and all the fields redound; 
So poured, from ships and tents, the swarming tribes 
Into Scamander's plain, where fearfully 
Earth echoed to the tramp of steeds and men." 

113. Cashin. A former capital of Persia. 

114. Elhurz. (el'boorz.) Mountains just north of 
Casbin. 

114. Aralian. Arms of the Aral Sea, an inland sea 
of Central Asia. 

U5. Frore. Frozen. 



30 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

For the warm Persian seaboard — so they 

streamed, 
The Tartars of the Oxus, the King's guard, 
First, with black sheepskin caps and with 

long spears ; 
Large men, large steeds ; who from Bok- 
hara come 
And Khiva, and ferment the milk of 

mares. ^^* 

Next, the more temperate Toorkmuns of 

the south. 
The Tukas, and the lances of Salore, 
And those from Attruck and the Caspian 

sands ; 
Light men and on light steeds, who only 

drink 
The acrid milk of camels, and their wells. ^^"^ 



119. Bokhara. A province of Central Asia nortli of 
Afghanistan. 

120. Khiva, (ke'vit.) An important province of 
Turkestan. 

120. Milk of mares. Koumiss, an intoxicating drink 
used by the Tartars. 

121. Toorkmuns. The dwellers on the Steppe east of 
the Caspian, more commonly known as Turkomans. 

123. Attruck. A river flowing into the Caspian Sea, 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 31 

And then a swarm of wandering horse, who 

came 
From far, and a more doubtful service 

owned ; 
The Tartars of Ferghana, from the banks 
Of the Jaxartes, men with scanty beards 
And close-set skullcaps ; and those wilder 

hordes ^^^ 

Who roam o'er Kipchak and the northern 

waste, 
Kalmucks and unkempt Kuzzaks, tribes 

who stray 
Nearest the Pole, and wandering Kirghizzes, 
Who come on shaggy ponies from Pamere ; 



127. Doubtful service. These men did not acknowl- 
edge Afrasiab as king. 

128. Ferghana, (fer-gha'na.) A province of Turkes- 
tan. 

129. Jaxartes. (jax-ar'tez.) The river Daria which 
rises in Ferghana. 

131. Kipchak. The region bordering on the northern 
shore of the Caspian Sea. 

132. Kalmucks. A wandering tribe, living chiefly in 
tents and employed in raising cattle and sheep. 

132. Kuzzaks. (kooz'zaks.) A nomadic tribe of 
Russians, now called Cossacks. 

133. Kirghizzes. (kir'ghi-zez.) Half-civilized Mon- 
golians who lived in the mountains. 



32 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

These all filed out from camp into the 

plain. ^^^ 

And on the other side the Persians formed — 
First a light cloud of horse, Tartars they 

seemed, 
The Ilyats of Khorassan ; and behind, 
The royal troops of Persia, horse and foot, 
Marshaled battalions bright in burnished 

steel. '"^ 

But Peran-Wisa with his herald came. 
Threading the Tartar squadrons to the 

front, 
And with his staff kept back the foremost 

ranks. 
And when Ferood, who led the Persians, saw 
That Peran-Wisa kept the Tartars back, ^^^ 
He took his spear, and to the front he came. 
And checked his ranks, and fixed them 

where they stood. 
And the old Tartar came upon the sand 
Betwixt the silent hosts, and spake, and 

said: 

138. Ihjats.' (il'i-ats.) A name meaning «n6es. 

138. Khorassan. (k5-ras-s-an'.) A province in the 
northeaster n part of Persia known as " the land of the 
Sun." 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 33 

" Ferood, and ye, Persians and Tartars, 
hear ! ''' 

Let there be truce between the hosts to-day. 

But choose a champion from the Persian 
lords 

To fight our champion Sohrab, man to 
man." 

As, in the country, on a morn in June, 
When the dew glistens on the pearled 
ears, ^^^ 

A shiver runs through the deep corn for 

joy — 

So, when they heard what Peran-Wisa said, 
A thrill through all the Tartar squadrons ran 
Of pride and hope for Sohrab, whom they 
loved. 

But as a troop of peddlers, from Cabool, ^^^ 
Cross underneath the Indian Caucasus, 
That vast sky-neighboring mountain of 
milk snow ; 

156. Corn. Here used for grain in general. 

160. Cahool. (ka-bool'.j Ttie capital of Afghan- 
istan. 

161. Indian Caucasus. The mountain range between 
Afganistan and Turkestan known as the Hindoo Koosh. 



34 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

Crossing so high, that, as they mount, they 

pass 
Long flocks of travelHng birds dead on the 

snow, 
Choked by the air, and scarce can they 

themselves ^^^ 

Slake their parched throats with sugared 

mulberries — 
In single file they move, and stop their 

breath. 
For fear they should dislodge the o'erhang- 

ing" snows — 
So the pale Persians held their breath with 

fear. 

And to Ferood his brother chiefs came 
up 
To counsel ; Gudurz and Zoarrah came, 
And Feraburz, who ruled the Persian host 



105. Choked by the air. That is, unable to breathe on 
account of the rarifled air. 

167. Stop their breath. Sometimes the utterance of a 
single word will cause sufficient reverberation of the 
atmosphere to dislodge an avalanche. 

171. Gudurz. Pronounced goo' doorz. 

171. Zoarrah. Pronounced zo-ar'rah. 

172. Ferahurz. Pronounced fer-a'boorz. 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 35 

Second, and was the uncle of the King : 
These came and counseled, and then Gudurz 
said : 

" Ferood, shame bids us take their chal- 
lenge up, ^"^ 

Yet champion have we none to match this 
youth. 

He has the wild stag's foot, the lion's heart. 

But Rustum came last night ; aloof he 
sits. 

And sullen, and has pitched his tents 
apart. 

Him will I seek, and carry to his ear ^^^ 

The Tartar challenge, and this young man's 
name. 

Haply he will forget his wrath, and fight. 

Stand forth the while, and take their chal- 
lenge up." 

So spake he ; and Ferood stood forth and 
cried : 
" Old man, he it agreed as thou hast said ! ^^^ 
Let Sohrab arm, and we will find a man." 

179. Sullen. Compare with the description of 
Achilles' wrath in the " Iliad." 



36 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

He spake : and Peran-Wisa turned, and 

strode 
Back through the opening squadrons to his 

tent. 
But through the anxious Persians Gudurz 

ran, 
And crossed the camp which lay behind, 

and reached, ^^ 

Out on the sands beyond it, Rustum's tents. 
Of scarlet cloth they were, and glittering gay, 
Just pitched ; the high pavilion in the midst 
Was Rustum's, and his men lay camped 

around. 
And Gudurz entered Rustum's tent, and 

found '^' 

Rustum; his morning meal was done, but still 
The table stood before him, charged with 

food — 
A side of roasted sheep, and cakes of bread, 
And dark-green melons ; and there Rustum 

sate 
Listless, and held a falcon on his wrist, "^ 

199. Sate. Archaic for sat. 

200. Falcon. Hunting witli the aid of falcons -vvas a 
favorite sport in the East from the earliest times, and 
indications of it are found in China and Nineveh cen- 
turies before the Christian era. 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 37 

And played with it ; but Gudurz came and 

stood 
Before him ; and he looked, and saw him 

stand, 
And with a cry sprang up and dropped the 

bird, 
And greeted Gudurz with both hands, and 

said : 

" Welcome ! these eyes could see no bet- 
ter sight. 2^^ 
What news ? but sit down first, and eat and 
drink." 

But Gudurz stood in the tent door, and 
said : 
" Not now ! a time will come to eat and 
drink, 

204. Greeted. Compare Achilles' greeting to the 
chiefs in the '-'■ Iliad," Bk. ix. : 
"He beheld, and with'the harp 
Sprang from his seat, surprised, Patroclns saw 
The heroes also, and arose. Their hands 
The swift Achilles toolv in his, and said : 
' Welcome! ye come as friends. Some pressing cause 
Must surely bring you hither, whom I prize, 
Wronged as I am, beyond all oiher Greeks.'" 

208. Not noio, etc. Compare this speech with the 
appeals in the ninth book of the " Iliad." 



38 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

But not to-day ; to-day has other needs. 
The armies are drawn out, and stand at 

gaze ; ^^^ 

For from the Tartars is a challenge brought 
To pick a champion from the Persian lords 
To fight their champion — and thou know'st 

his name — 
Sohrab men call him, but his birth is hid. 
Rustum, like thy might is this young 

man's ! ''' 

He has the wild stag's foot, the lion's heart ; 
And he is young, and Iran's chiefs are old. 
Or else too weak ; and all eyes turn to thee. 
Come down and help me, Rustum, or we 

lose !" 

He spoke ; but Rustum answered with a 
smile ; ^<^ 

'* Go to ! if Iran's chiefs are old, then I 
Am older ; if the young are weak, the King 

217. Iran's. According to a Persian legend the 
, _-^ -Iranian and Turanian races sprang from two brottiers; 
^ Irah and Tur. Therefore, the Persians called their 

country Iran. 

221. Go to. An impatient or contemptuous exclama- 
tion common in Shakespeare's day and often found in 
the Bible. 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM 39 

Errs strangely ; for the King, for Kai 

Khosroo, 
Himself is young, and honors younger men, 
And lets the aged moulder to their graves.^"^^ 
Rustum he loves no more, but loves the 

young — 
The young may rise at Sohrab's vaunts, 

not L 
For what care I, though all speak Sohrab's 

fame ? 
For would that I myself had such a son, 
And not that one slight helpless girl I 

have — ^30 

A son so famed, so brave to send to war. 
And I to tarry with the snow-haired Zal, 

223. Kai Khosroo.- (klkos-roo'.) The Persian name 
of Cyrus the Great, whose reign was one of the most 
glorious in Persian history. In the original poem, these 
events occur in the reign of Kai Kaoos. Compare 
'' Omar Khayyam": 

"What have we to do 
With Kaikobad the Great, or Kaikhosru? 
Let Zal and Rustum thunder as they will." 

230. Helpless girl. Sohrab's mother had deceived 
Rustum and made him think that their child was a girl 
in order that she might keep the boy with her. 

232. Snow-haired Zal. According to legend Zal was 
born with white hair, a prodigy which so alarmed his 
father that he exposed him upon a mountain to die; 
but the child was saved by a wonderful bird. 



40 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

My father, whom the robber Afghans vex, 
A-nd clip his borders short, and drive his 

herds, 
^.nd he has none to guard his weak old 

age. ''' 

There would I go, and hang my armor up, 
&.nd with my great name fence that weak 

old man. 
And spend the goodly treasures I have 

got. 
And rest my age, and hear of Sohrab's 

fame. 

And leave to death the hosts of thankless 



kings. 



240 



And with these slaughterous hands draw 
sword no more." 

He spoke, and smiled ; and Gudurz made 

reply : 
" What then, Rustum, will men say to 

this. 
When Sohrab dares our bravest forth, and 

seeks 
Thee most of all, and thou, whom most he 

seeks, ^^ 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 41 

Hidest thy face ? Take heed lest men 

should r.ay : 
' Like some old miser, Rustiim hoards his 

fame. 
And shuns to peril it with younger men.' '' 

And, greatly moved, then Rustum made 

reply : 
" Gudurz, wherefore dost thou say such 

words ? ^^° 

Thou knowest better words than this to 

say. 
What is one more, one less, obscure or 

famed, 
Yaliant or craven, young or old, to me ? 
Are not they mortal, am not I myself ? 
But who for men of naught would do great 

deeds? 255 

Come, thou shalt see how Rustum hoards 

his fame ! 
But I will fight unknown, and in plain 

arms ; 
Let not men say of Rustum, he was 

matched 
In single fight with any mortal man." 



42 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

He spoke, and frowned ; and Gudurz 

turned and ran ^^^ 

Back quickly through the camp in fear and 

joy — 

Fear at his wrath, but joy that Rustum 

came. 
But Rustum strode to his tent door, and 

called 
His followers in, and bade them bring his 

arms, 
And clad himself in steel ; the arms he 

chose . '^'^ 

Were plain, and on his shield was no device, 
Onlyiiis helm was rich, inlaid with gold. 
And, from the fluted sjDine atop, a plume 
Of horsehair waved, a scarlet horsehair 

plume. 
So armed, he issued forth ; and Ruksh, his 

horse, -"^ 

Followed him like a faithful hound at heel — 



267. Helm. Helmet. 

268, Fluted sjnne. The ridge or summit of the 
helmet. 

270. liiiksh. (rooksh.) This horse was as famous 
in Persian legend as Achilles' Xanthus or Alexander's 
Bucephalus. 



SOHKAB AND RUSTUM. 43 

Ruksh, whose renown was noised through 

all the earth, 
The horse, whom Rustum on a foray once 
Did in Bokhara by the river find, 
A colt beneath its dam, and drove him 

home, ^'^ 

And reared him ; a bright bay, with lofty 

crest, 
Dight with a saddlecloth of broidered green 
Crusted with gold, and on the ground were 

worked 
All beasts of chase, all beasts which hunters 

know. 
So followed, Rustum left his tents, and 

J 280 

crossed 

The camp, and to the Persian host ap- 
peared. 

And all the Persians knew him, and with 
shouts 

Hailed ; but the Tartars knew not who he 
was. 

And dear as the wet diver to the eyes 

Of his pale wife who waits and weeps on 
shore, ''' 

377. Dight. Sasion for dressed. 



44 SOHRAB AND RUSTLTM. 

By sandy Bahrein, in the Persian Gulf, 
Plunglnor all day in the blue waves, at 

night. 
Having made up his tale of precious pearls. 
Rejoins her in their hut upon the sands — 
So dear to the pale Persians Rustum 

came. ^""^ 

And Rustum to the Persian front ad- 
vanced. 

And Sohrab armed in Haman's tent, and 
came. 

And as afield the reapers cut a swath 

Down throuo;h the middle of a rich man's 
corn. 

And on each side are squares of standing 
corn. 

And in the midst a stubble, short and 
bare — 

So on each side were squares of men, with 
spears 

286. Bahrein, (hii' riin.) An island in the Persian 
Gulf where there were extensive pearl fisheries. 

288. Tale. Reckoning. From the Angl^'-Saxon m/inn, 
to count. Compare Milton's '' L' Allegro " : 
" And every shepherd tells his tale 
Under the hawthorn in the dale." 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 45 

Bristling, and in the midst, the open sand. 
And Rustum came upon the sand, and cast 
His eyes toward the Tartar tents, and 

saw 2^ 

Sohrab come forth, and eyed him as he 

came. 

As some rich woman, on a winter's 

morn. 
Eyes through her silken curtains the poor 

drudge 
Who with numb blackened fingers makes 

her fire — 
At cockcrow, on a starlit winter's morn, ^^^ 
When the frost flowers the whitened wind- 

dow-panes — 
And wonders how she lives, and what the 

thoughts 
Of that poor drudge may be ; so Rustum 

eyed 
The unknown adventurous youth, who from 

afar 
Came seeking Rustum, and defying forth ^^^ 
All the most valiant chiefs ; long he perused 
His spirited air, and wondered who he was. 



46 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

For very young he seemed, tenderly reared ; 
Like some young cypress, tall, and dark, 

and straight, 
Which in a queen's secluded garden 

throws ''' 

Its slight dark shadow on the moonlit turf. 
By midnight, to a bubbling fountain's 

sound — 
So slender Sohrab seemed, so softly reared. 
And a deep pity entered Rustum's soul 
As he beheld him coming ; and he stood,^-*^ 
And beckoned to him with his hand, and 

said : 

" thou young man, the air of heaven 

is soft. 
And warm, and pleasant ; but the grave is 

coldT 
Heaven's air is better than the cold dead 

grave. 
Behold me ! I am vast, and clad in iron, ^'^ 
And tried ; and I have stood on many a field 
Of blood, and I have fought with many a 

foe — 

326. Tried. Proved worthy by experience. 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 47 

Never was that field lost, or that foe 

saved. 
O Sohrab, wherefore wilt thou rush on 

death ? 
Be governed ! quit the Tartar host, and 

come ^^^ 

To Iran, and be as my son to me, 
And fight beneath my banner till I die ! 
There are no youths in Iran brave as 

thou." 

So he spake, mildly ; Sohrab heard his 

voice, 
The mighty voice of Rustum, and he saw ^^^ 
His giant figure planted on the sand, 
Sole, like some single tower, which a chief 
Hath builded on the waste in former years 
Against the robbers ; and he saw the head, 
Streaked with its first gray hairs — hope 

filled his soul, ''' 

And he ran foward and embraced his 

knees, 
And clasped his hand within his own, and 

said : 

328. Field. Observe the effect of the alliteration in 
this line. 



48 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

" Oh, by thy father's head ! by thine own 
soul ! 
Art thou not Rustum ? speak ! art thou not 
he?" 

But Rustum eyed askance the kneeling 
youth, ^^' 

And turned away, and spake to his own 
soul : 

" Ah me, I muse what this young fox 

may mean ! 
False, wily, boastful, are these Tartar boys. 
For if I now confess this thing he asks, 
And hide it not, but say : ' Rustum is 

here ! ' ''' 

He will not yield indeed, nor quit our foes, 
But he will find some pretext not to fight, 
And praise my fame, and proffer courteous 

gifts, 
A belt or sword perhaps, and go his way. 
And on a feast-tide, in Afrasiab's hall, ^^''' 
In Samarcand, he will arise and cry : 
' I challenged once, w^hen the two armies 

camped 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 49 

Beside the Oxus, all the Persian lords 
To cope with me in single fight ; but they 
Shrank, only Rustum dared ; then he and P^^ 
Changed gifts, and went on equal terms 

• away.' 
So will he speak, perhaps, while men 

applaud ; 
Then were the chiefs of Iran shamed 

through me." 

And then he turned, and sternly spake 
aloud : 
''' Rise ! wherefore dost thou vainly questibn 

thus .^^ 

Of Rustum ? I am here, whom thou hast 

called 
By challenge forth ; make good thy vaunt, 

or yield ! 
Is it with Rustum only thou wouldst fight ? 
Rash boy, men look on Rustum's face and 

flee! 
For well I know, that did great Rustum 

stand ''' 

Before thy face this day, and were revealed, 

363. Were. Would be. 



50 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

There would be then no talk of fighting 

more. 
But being what I am, I tell thee this — 
Do thou record it in thine inmost soul : 
Either thou shalt renounce thy vaunt and 

yield, ''' 

Or else thy bones shall strew this sand, till 

winds 
Bleach them, or Oxus with his summer 

floods, 
Oxus in summer wash them all away." 

'He spoke ; and Sohrab answered, on his 

feet: 
" Art thou so fierce ? Thou wilt not 

fright me so ! ^^" 

I am no gh^l, to be made pale by words. 
Yet this thou hast said well, did Rustum 

stand 
Here on this field, there were no fighting 

then. 
But Rustum is far hence, and we stand here. 
Begin ! thou art more vast, more dread 

than I, 385 

385. Dread. Inspire more dread. 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 51 

And thou art proved, I know, and I am 

young. 
But yet success sways with the breath of 

heaven. 
And though thou thinkest that thou 

knowest sure 
Thy victory, yet thou canst not surely know. 
For we are all, like swimmers in the sea, ^^^ 
Poised on the top of a huge wave of fate, 
Which hangs uncertain to which side to 

fall. 
And whether it will heave us up to land, 
Or whether it will roll us out to sea. 
Back out to sea, to the deep waves of 

death, ''' 

We know not, and no search will make us 

know; 
Only the event will teach us in its hour." 

He spoke, and Rustum answered not, but 
hurled 
His spear ; down from the shoulder, down 
it came, 



387. Success. "'Tis not in human mortals to com- 
mand success." 



52 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

As on some partridge in the corn a 

hawk, ''' 

That long has towered in the airy clouds, 
Drops like a plummet ; Sohrab saw it come, 
And sprang aside, quick as a flash ; the 

spear 
Hissed, and went quivering down into the 

sand. 
Which it sent flying wide ; then Sohrab 

threw *^^ 

In turn, and full struck Rustum's shield ; 

sharp rang. 
The iron plates rang sharp, but turned the 

spear. 
And Rustum seized his club, which none 

but he 
Could wield ; an unlopped trunk it was, 

and huge. 
Still rouofh — like those which men in tree- 

less plains *^^ 

406. Sharp rang. Notice the effect of the repetition 
of these words. 

409. Unlopped. Uiitrimined of its twigs and branches. 
Compare the description of Polyphemus' walking-stick 
in the " ^neid," Bk. iii. : 

" A pine-cree trunk 
Did guide his hand and make his footing sure." 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 53 

To build them boats fish from the flooded 

rivers, 
Hyphasis or Hydaspes, when, high up 
By their dark springs, the wind in winter 

time 
Hath made in Himalayan forest wrack, 
And strewn the channels with torn boughs 

— so huge ^^^ 

The club which Rustum lifted now, and 

struck 
One stroke ; but again Sohrab sprang aside. 
Lithe as the glancing snake, and the club 

came 
Thundering to earth, and leapt from Rus- 
tum 's hand. 
And Rustum followed his own blow, and 

fell ''' 

To his knees, and with his fingers clutched 

the sand; 
And now mig-ht Sohrab have unsheathed 

his sword, 

412. Hyphasis or Hydaspps (hi-fa'sis or hi-das'pez.) 
Two rivers flowing through Northern India into the 
Indus. 

413. Dark springs. Dark l)ecause hidden in the 
forests. 

414. Wrack. Wrecls; or ruin. 



54 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

And pierced the mighty Riistum while he 

lay 
Dizzy, and on his knees, and choked with 

sand ; 
But he looked on, and smiled, nor bared 

his sword, ^^^ 

But courteously drew back, and spoke, and 

said : 

^' Thou strik'st too hard ! that club of 

thine will float 
Upon the summer floods, and not my bones. 
But rise, and be not wroth ! not wroth am I; 
No, when I see thee, Avrath forsakes my 

soul, 
Thou say'st, thou art not Rustum ; be 

it so! 
Who art thou then, that canst so touch my 

soul. 
Boy as I am, I have seen battles too — 
Have waded foremost in their bloody waves. 
And heard their hollow roar of dying 

men ; *^^ 

But never was my heart thus touched 

before. 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 55 

Are they from Heaven, these softenings of 

the heart? 
thou old warrior, let us yield to Heaven ! 
Come, plant we here in earth our angry 

spears. 
And make a truce, and sit upon this sand, **^ 
And pledge each other in red wine, like 

friends. 
And thou shalt talk to me of Rustum's 

deeds. 
There -are enough foes in the Persian host. 
Whom I may meet, and strike, and feel no 

pang ; 
Champions enough Afrasiab has, whom 

thou ^^ 

May'st fight ; fight theniy when they con- 
front thy spear ! 
But oh, let there be peace 'twixt thee and 

me!" 

He ceased, but while he spake, Rustum 

had risen. 
And stood erect, trembling with rage ', his 

club 
He left to lie, but had regained his spear, ^^ 



56 SOHRAB AND KUSTUM. 

Whose fiery point now in his mailed right 

hand 
Blazed bright and baleful, like that autumn 

star, 
The baleful sign of fevers ; dust had soiled 
His stately crest, and dimmed his glittering 

arms. 
His breast heaved, his lips foamed, and 

twice his voice ^^^ 

Was choked with rage ; at last these words 

broke way : 

" Girl ! nimble with thy feet, not with 

thy hands ! 
Curled minion, dancer, coiner of sweet 

words ! 
Fight, let me hear thy hateful voice no 

more ! 
Thou art not in Afrasiab's gardens now ^^^ 
With Tartar girls, with whom thou art 

wont to dance ; 
But on the Oxus sands, and in the dance 
Of battle, and with me, who make no play 

452. Autumyi star. Sirius, the Dog-star, wliich was 
supposed by the ancients to shed a baneful influence. 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 67 

Of war ; I fight it out, and hand to hand. 
Speak not to me of truce, and pledge, and 

wine ! ''' 

Remember all thy valor ; try thy feints 
And cunning ! all the pity I had is gone ; 
Because thou hast shamed me before both 

the hosts 
With thy light skipping tricks, and thy 

girl's wiles." 

He spoke, and Sohrab kindled at his 

taunts, *^° 

And he too drew his sword ; at once they 

rushed 
Together, as two eagles on one prey 
Come rushing down together from the 

clouds. 
One from the east, one from the west ; their 

shields 
Dashed with a clang together, and a din ^^^ 
Rose, such as that the sinewy woodcutters 

472. Two ennles. Compare '' Iliad,'' Bk. xxii. : 
" As when an eag'e high in heaven, 
Thr ngh the thick cloncK darts dowi.ward to the plain 
To clutch some tender lamb or timid hare, 
So Hector, brandishing that keen-edged sword, 
Sprang forward." 



58 SOHKAB AND RUSTUM. 

Make often in the forest's heart at morn, 
Of hewing axes, crashing trees — such blows 
Rustum and Sohrab on each other hailed. 
And you would say that sun and stars took 

part ''' 

In that unnatural conflict ; for a cloud 
Grew suddenly in heaven, and darked the 

sun 
Over the fighters' heads ; and a wind rose 
Under their feet, and moaning swept the 

plain. 
And in a sandy whirlwind wrapped the 

pair. *^^ 

In gloom they twain were wrapped, and 

they alone ; 
For both the on-looking hosts on either 

hand 
Stood in broad daylight, and the sky was 

pure, 
And the sun sparkled on the Oxus stream. 
But in the gloom they fought, with blood- 
shot eyes ^^ 

480. Sun and stars. See Joshua x. 12 for au account 
of a battle iu which the sun and moon took part. 

481. Unnatural. Because father and son were fight- 
ing together. 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 59 

And laboring breath ; first Rustum struck 

the shield 
Which Sohrab held stiff out ; the steel- 
spiked spear 
Rent the tough plates, but failed to reach 

the skin, 
And Rustum plucked it back with angry 

groan. 
Then Sohrab with his sword smote Rus- 

tum's helm, *^^ 

Nor clove its steel quite through ; but all 

the crest 
He shore away, and that proud horsehair 

plume, 
Never till now defiled, sank to the dust ; 
And Rustum bowed his head ; but then the 

gloom 
Grew blacker, thunder rumbled in the 

air, "^ 

And lightnings rent the cloud ; and Ruksh, 

the horse, 
Who stood at hand, uttered a dreadful cry — 
No horse's cry was that, most like the roar 
Of some pained desert lion, who all day 

497. Shore. An archaic preterite of tbe verb shear. 



60 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

Hath trailed the hunter's javeUn in his 

side, ''' 

And comes at night to die upon the 

sand. 
The two hosts heard that cry, and quaked 

for fear, 
And Oxus curdled as it crossed his stream. 
But Sohrab heard, and quailed not, but 

. rushed on, 
And struck again ; and again Rustum 

bowed ''' 

His head ; but this time all the blade, like 

glass. 
Sprang in a thousand shivers on the helm. 
And in the hand the hilt remained alone. 
Then Rustum raised his head ; his dreadful 

eyes 
Glared, and he shook on high his menacing 

spear, ^^^ 

And shouted : " Rustum ! " Sohrab heard 

that shout. 
And shrank amazed : back he recoiled one 

step, 
And scanned with blinking eyes the advanc- 
ing form ; 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 61 

And then he stood bewildered ; and he 

dropped 
His covering shield, and the spear pierced 

his side. ''^ 

He reeled, and, staggering back, sank to 

the ground ; 
And then the gloom dispersed, and the 

wind fell. 
And the bright sun broke forth, and melted 

all 
The cloud ; and the two armies saw the 

pair — 
Saw Rustum standing, safe upon his feet,^^^ 
And Sohrab, wounded, on the bloody sand. 

Then, with a bitter smile, Rustum began: 
" Sohrab, thou thoughtest in thy mind to kill 
A Persian lord this day, and strip his 

corpse. 
And bear thy trophies to Af rasiab's tent ;^' 
Or else that the great Rustum would come 

down 

522. And, etc. Compare Matt, vii 27: "And the 
rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds 
blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell; and great 
W^s the fall of it." 



62 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

Himself to fight, and that thy wiles would 

move 
His heart to take a gift, and let thee go ; 
And then that all the Tartar host would 

praise 
Thy courage or thy craft, and spread thy 

fame, ^^ 

To glad thy father in his weak old age. 
Fool, thou art slain, and by an unknown 

man ! 
Dearer to the red jackals shalt thou be 
Than to thy friends, and to thy father old." 

And, with a fearless mien, Sohrab 

replied : ^^ 

^' Unknown thou art ; yet thy fierce vaunt 

is vain. 
Thou dost not slay me, proud and boastful 

man ! 
No ! Rustum slays me, and this filial heart. 
For were I matched with ten such men as 

thee. 
And I were that which till to-day I was, ^*^ 
They should be lying here, I standing there 

536. Glad. That is, make glad. 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 63 

But that beloved name unnerved my arm — 
That name, and something, I confess, in 

thee, 
Which troubles all my heart, 'and made my 

shield 
Fall ; and thy spear transfixed an unarmed 

foe. ^0 

And now thou boastest, and insults't my fate. 
But hear thou this, fierce man, tremble to 

hear: 
The mighty Rustum shall avenge my death ! 
My father, whom I seek through all the 

world, ^^^ 

He shall avenge my death, and punish thee!" 

As when some hunter in the spring hath 

found 
A breeding eagle sitting on her nest. 
Upon the craggy isle of a hill lake, 
And pierced her with an arrow as she rose, 
And followed her to find her where she 

fell ''' 

Far off — anon her mate comes winging 

back 
From hunting, and a great way off descries 



64 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

His huddling youth left sole ; at that, he 

checks 
His pinion, and with short uneasy sweeps 
Circles above his eyry, with loud screams ^^ * 
Chiding his mate back to her nest ; but she 
Lies dying, with the arrow in her side, 
In some far stony gorge out of his ken, 
A heap of fluttering feathers — never more 
Shall the lake glass her, flying over it ; ^'^ 
Never the black and dripping precipices 
Echo her stormy scream as she sails by — 
As that poor bird flies home, nor knows 

his loss, 
So Eustum knew not his own loss, but stood 
Over his dying son, and knew him not. ^'^ 

But, with a cold incredulous voice, he 
said : 
" What prate is this of fathers and revenge? 
The mighty Rustum never had a son." 

And, with a failing voice, Sohrab replied : 
" Ah, yes, he had ! and that lost son am I.'*" 
Surely the news will one day reach his ear, 

570. Glass. Reflect her image in the water. 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 65 

Reach Rustum, where he sits, and tarries 

long, 
Somewhere, I know not where, but far 

from here ; 
And pierce him like a stab, and make him 

leap 
To arms, and cry for vengeance upon thee.^^^ 
Fierce man, bethink thee, for an only son ! 
What will that grief, what will that 

vengeance be? 
Oh, could I live till I that grief had seen ! 
Yet him I pity not so much, but her. 
My mother, who in Ader-baijan dwells ^^ 
With that old king, her father, who grows 

gray 
With age, and rules over the valiant 

Koords. 
Her most I pity, who no more will see 
Sohrab returning from the Tartar camp. 
With spoils and honor, when the war is 

done. ''' 

But a dark rumor will be bruited up, 
From tribe to tribe, until it reach her ear ; 

591. Her father. The king of Samangan. 
596. Bruited up. Circulated abroad. 



66 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

And then will that defenseless woman learn 
That Sohrab will rejoice her sight no more, 
But that in battle with a nameless foe, ^^ 
By the far-distant Oxus, he is slain." 

He spoke ; and as he ceased he wept 

aloud, 
Thinking of her he left, and his own death. 
He spoke ; but Rustum listened, plunged 

in thought. 
Nor did he yet believe it was his son ^^ 
Who spoke, although he called back names 

he knew ; 
For he had had sure tidings that the babe. 
Which was in Ader-baijan born to him, 
Had been a puny girl, no boy at all — 
So that sad mother sent him word for fear ^^^ 
Rustum should seek the boy to train in 

arms. 
And so he deemed that either Sohrab took, 
By a false boast, the style of Rustum's son ; 
Or that men gave it him, to swell his fame. 
So deemed he : yet he listened, plunged in 

thought, ^'' 

613. Style. Name. 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 67 

And his soul set to grief, as the vast tide 
Of tlie bright rocking Ocean sets to 

shore 
At the full moon ; tears gathered in his 

eyes; 
For he remembered his own early youth, 
And all its bounding raptures ; as, at 

dawn, «2o 

The shepherd from his mountain lodge 

descries 
A far, bright city, smitten by the sun, 
Through many rolling clouds — so Rustum 

saw 
His youth ; siiw Sohrab's mother, in her 

bloom ; 
And that old king, her father, who loved 

well ''' 

Plis wandering guest, and gave him his fair 

child 
With joy ; and all the pleasant life they 

led. 
They three, in that long distant summer 

time — 
The castle and the dewy woods, and hunt 

616. Set to griej. Moved under the influence of grief. 



68 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

And hound, and morn on those delightful 
hills ^' 

In Ader-baijan. And he saw that youth, 
Of age and looks to be his own dear son. 
Piteous and lovely, lying on the sand. 
Like some rich hyacinth which by the scythe 
Of an unskillful gardener has been cut, ^^ 
Mowing the garden grassplots near its bed, 
And lies, a fragrant tower of purple bloom, 
On the mown, dying grass — so Sohrab lay, 
Lovely in death, upon the common sand. 
And Rustum gazed on him with grief, and 
said : 

" Sohrab, thou indeed art such a son 
Whom Rustum, wert thou his, might well 

have loved ! 
Yet here thou errest, Sohrab, or else men 
Have told thee false — thou art not Rus- 

tum's son. 
For Rustum had no son ; one child he 

had — 
But one — a girl ; who with her mother now 

632. Of age. That is, of suitable age and looks to be 
his own son. 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 69 

Plies some light female task, nor dreams of 

us — 
Of us she dreams not, nor of wounds, nor 



war." 



But Sohrab answered him in wrath ; for 

now 
The anguish of the deep-fixed spear grew 

fierce, ^^ 

And he desired to draw forth the steel, 
And let the blood flow free, and so to die — 
But first he would convince his stubborn 

foe; 
And, rising sternly on one arm, he said : 

" Man, who art thou who dost deny my 
words ? 655 

Truth sits upon the lips of dying men, 
And falsehood, while 1 lived, was far from 

mine. 
I tell thee, pricked upon this arm I bear 
The seal which Rustum to my mother gave. 
That she might prick it on the babe she 
bore." 660 

669. Seal. In the original story this seal was an 
onyx amulet. 



70 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

He spoke ; and all the blood left Rus- 

tum's cheeks, 
And his knees tottered, and he smote his 

hand 
Against his breast, his heavy mailed hand, 
That the hard iron corselet clanked aloud ; 
And to his heart he pressed the other 

hand, "'' 

And in a hollow voice he spake, and said : 

" Sohrab, that were a proof which could 
not lie ! 
If thou show this, then art thou Rustum's 
son." 

Then, with weak hasty fingers, Sohrab 

loosed 
His belt, and near the shoulder bared his 

arm, «'^ 

And showed a sign in faint vermilion points 
Pricked ; as a cunning workman, in Pekin^ 
Pricks with vermilion some clear porcelain 

vase, 
An emperor's gift — at early morn he paints, 

664. That. Supply so. 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 71 

And all day long, and, when night comes, 

the lamp ^^^ 

Lights up his studious forehead and thin 

hands — 
So delicately pricked the sign appeared 
On Sohrab's arm, the sign of Rustum's 

seal. 
It was that griffin, which of old reared Zal, 
Rustum's great father, whom they left to 

die, ''' 

A helpless babe, among the mountain rocks; 
Him that kind creature found and reared, 

and loved — 
Then Rustum took it for his glorious sign. 
And Sohrab bared that image on his arm. 
And himself scanned it long with mournful 

eyes, ^^^ 

And then he touched it with his hand, and 

said : 

" How say'st thou ? Is that sign the 
proper sign 
Of Rustum's son. or of some other man's ?" 



(579. Griffin. The great bird already referred to that 
rescued the infant Zal. 



72 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

He spoke ; but Rustum gazed, and gazed, 

and stood 
Speechless ; and then he uttered one sharp 

cry : «^ 

" boy — thy father !" — and his voice 

choked there. 
And then a dark cloud passed before his eyes, 
And his head swam, and he sank down to 

earth. 
But Sohrab crawled to where he lay, and 

cast 
His arms about his neck, and kissed his lips,^^^ 
And with fond faltering fingers stroked his 

cheeks. 
Trying to call him back to life ; and life 
Came back to Rustum, and he oped his eyes. 
And they stood wide with horror ; and he 

seized 
In both his hands the dust which lay 

around, ^^ 

700. The dust. Compare the grief of Achilles for his 
friend Patroclus in the eighteenth book of the " Iliad " : 
" Grasping both hands 
The ashes of the hearth, he showered them o'er 
His head, and soiled with them his noble face. 
They clung in dark lumps to his comely vest, 
Prone in the dust of earth, at his full length, 
And tearing his disordered hair, he lay." 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 7S 

And threw it on his head and smirched his 
hair — 

His hair, and face, and bearjJ, and glitter- 
ing arms ; 

And strong convulsive groanings shook his 
breast, 

And his sobs choked him ; and he clutched 
his sword, 

To draw it, and forever let life out. "^^^ 

But Sohrab saw his thought, and held his 
hands, 

And with a soothing voice he spake, and 
said : 

" Father, forbear ! for I but meet to-day 
The doom which at my birth was written 

down 
In heaven, and thou art heaven's uncon- 
scious hand. ' 
Surely my heart cried out that it was thou, 
When first I saw thee ; and thy heart 

spoke too, 
I know it ! but fate trod those promptings 
down 

709. The doom. To the minds of ancient people, fate 
was all-powerful, even over the gods. 



74 SOHRAB AND RITSTUM. 

Under its iron heel ; fate, fate engaged 
The strife, and hurled me on my father's 
spear. 715 

But let us speak no more of this ! I 

find 
My father ; and let me feel that I have 

found ! 
Come, sit beside me on this sand, and take 
My head betwixt thy hands, and kiss my 

cheeks. 
And wash them with thy tears, and say : 
' My son !' 720 

Quick ! quick ! for numbered are my sands 

of life. 
And swift ; for like the lightning to this 

field 
I came, and like the wind I go away — 
Sudden, and swift, and Hke a passing 

wind. 
But it was writ in heaven that this should 
be." 725 

723. Like the wind. Compare " Omar Khayyam " : 
" Into this universe and why not knowin"- 

Nor whence, like waterrwillv nilly flowing, 
And out of it again as wind across the waste 
We know not whither, willy nilly blowing." 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 75 

So said he, and his voice released the 

heart 
Of Rustum, and his tears' broke forth ; he 

cast 
His arms round his son's neck, and wept 

aloud, 
And kissed him. And awe fell on both 

the hosts, 
When they saw Rustum's grief; and Ruksh, 

the horse, "^^ 

With his head bowing to the ground and 

mane 
Sweeping the dust, came near, and in mute 

woe 
First to the one then to the other moved 
His head, as if inquiring what their grief 
Might mean ; and from his dark compas- 
sionate eyes, "^^ 
The big warm tears rolled down, and caked 

the sand. 
But Rustum chid him with stern voice, and 

said : 

" Ruksh, now thou grievest ; but, 
Ruksh, thy feet 



76 SOitRAB AN]3 RUSfUM. 

Should first have rotted on their nimble 

joints, 

Or ere they brought thy master to this 

field !" '^0 

But Sohrab looked upon the horse, and 

said: 
'^ Is this, then, Ruksh ? How often, in 

past days. 
My mother told me of thee, thou brave steed, 
My terrible father's terrible horse ! and said. 
That I should one day find my lord and 

thee. 745 

Come, let me lay my hand upon thy mane ! 
Ruksh, thou art more fortunate than I ; 
For thou hast gone where I shall never go. 
And snufPed the breezes of my father's home. 
And thou hast trod the sands of Seistan, '^^ 
And seen the River of Helmund, and the 

Lake 
Of Zirrah ; and the aged Zal himself 

744. Terrible father's. Compare Southey's "A terribly 
man with a terrible name." 

751. Helmund. (hel' moond.) A river of Afghan, 
istan in the province of Seistan. 

752. Zirrah. Czir'r^h.) The site of possessions 
■which Rustum had received from the Persian kings. 



SOttRAB AND RUSTUM. 77 

Has often stroked thy neck, and given thee 

food, 
Corn in a golden platter soaked with wine, 
And said : ' Ruksli ! bear Rustum well/ 

— but I ''' 

Have never known my grandsire's furrowed 

face, 
Nor seen his lofty house in Seistan, 
Nor slaked my thirst at the clear Helmund 

stream ; 
But lodged among my father's foes, and seen 
Afrasiab's cities only, Samarcand, '^^ 

Bokhara, and lone Khiva in the waste. 
And the black Toorkmun tents ; and only 

drunk 
The desert rivers, Moorghab and Tejend, 
Kohik, and where the Kalmuks feed their 

sheep. 
The northern Sir ; and this great Oxus 

stream, ^^^ 

The yellow Oxus, by whose brink I die." 

763. Moorghab, Tejend, Kohik. (te-jend'.) ("ko-hik'.) 
Rivers which flow througli Turkestan into the Asiatic 
desert. 

765. Northern Sir. The river Jaxartes, already men- 
tioned. 



78 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

Then, with a heavy groan, Rustum 

bewailed : 

" Oh, that its waves were flowing over me ! 

Oh, that I saw its grains of yellow silt 

Roll tumbling in the current o'er my 

head !" ''' 

But, with a grave mild voice, Sohrab 

replied : 
" Desire not that, my father ! thou must 

live. 
For some are born to do great deeds, and 

live. 
As some are born to be obscured, and die. 
Do thou the deeds I die too young to do,"^^ 
And reap a second glory in thine age ; 
Thou art my father, and thy gain is mine. 
But come ! thou seest this great host of men 
Which follow me ; I pray thee, slay not 

these ! 
Let me entreat for them ; what have they 

done ? ''' 

They followed me, my hope, my fame, my 

star. 

769. Yellow silt. The fine soil -washed away and 
deposited by the current. 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 79 

Let them all cross the Oxus back in peace, 
But me thou must bear hence, not send with 

them, 
But carry me with thee to Seistan, 
And place me on a bed, and mourn for 

me, '^^ 

Thou, and the snow-haired Zal, and all thy 

friends. 
And thou must lay me in that lovely earth, 
And heap a stately mound above my bones, 
And plant a far-seen pillar over all. 
That so the passing horseman on the 

waste ^^ 

May see my tomb a great way off, and cry : 
' Sohrab, the mighty Rustum's son, lies 

there. 
Whom his great father did in ignorance 

kill !' 
And T be not forgotten in my grave/' 

And, with a mournful voice Rustum 
replied : ''' 

" Fear not ! as thou hast said, Sohrab, my 
son. 

So shall it be ; for I will burn my tents, 



80 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

And quit the host, and bear thee hence 

with me, 
And carry thee away to Seistan, 
And place thee on a bed, and mourn for 

thee, ''' 

With the snow-headed Zal, and all my 

friends. 
And I will lay thee in that lovely earth, 
And heap a stately mound above thy bones, 
And plant a far-seen pillar over all. 
And men shall not forget thee in thy 

grave. 
And I will spare thy host ; yea, let them go ! 
Let them all cross the Oxus back in peace ! 
What should I do with slaying any more ? 
For would that all that I had ever slain 
Might be once more alive ; my bitterest 

foes, ''' 

And they who were called champions in 

their time. 
And through whose death I won that fame 

I have — 
And I were nothing but a common man, 

802. And I will lay. Note the repetition of Sohrab's 
words in these lines. Such repetitious are common in 
Homer and other epic poets 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM 81 

A poor, mean soldier, and without renown, 
So thou mightest live too, my son, my son!^^^ 
Or rather would that I, even I myself. 
Might now be lying on this bloody sand. 
Near death, and by an ignorant stroke of 

thine. 
Not thou of mine ! and I might die, not 

thou ; 
And I, not thou, be borne to Seistan ; ^"^ 
And Zal might weep above my grave, not 

thine ; 
And say : ' son, I weep thee not too sore^ 
For willingly, I know, thou met'st thine 

end!' 
But now in blood and battles was my youth; 
And full of blood and battles is my age,^*^ 
And I shall never end this life of blood." 

Then, at the point of death, Sohrab 
replied : 
" A life of blood indeed, thou dreadful man ! 

815. My son, etc. Compare David's lament for 
Absalom : "And the king was much moved, and went 
up to the chamber over the gate, and wept : and as he 
•went, thus he said, O m> son Absalom, my son, my 
son Absalom ! would God I had died for thee, O Absa- 
lom, my son, my son ! " 



82 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

But thou shalt yet have peace ; only not 

now, 
Not yet ! but thou shalt have it on that 

day ^^ 

When thou shalt sail in a high-masted ship, 
Thou and the other peers of Kai Khosroo, 
Returning home over the salt blue sea, 
From laying thy dear master in his grave." 

And Rustum gazed in Sohrab's face and 

said : ''' 

" Soon be that day, my son, and deep that 

sea ! 
Till then, if fate so wills, let me endure." 

He spoke ; and Sohrab smiled on him, 

and took 
The spear, and drew it from his side, and 

eased 
His wound's imperious anguish ; but the 

blood ^ 

Came welling from the open gash, and life 
Flowed with the stream — all down his cold 

white side 
The crimson torrent ran, dim now and 

soiled, 



SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 83 

Like the soiled tissue of white violets 
Left, freshly gathered, on their native 

bank, ""' 

By children whom their nurses call with 

haste 
Indoors from the sun's eye ; his head 

drooped low. 
His limbs grew slack ; motionless, white, he 

lay — 
White, with eyes closed ; only when heavy 

gasps. 
Deep heavy gasps, quivering through all his 

frame, ^^^ 

Convulsed him back to life, he opened 

them. 
And fixed them feebly on his father's 

face ; 
Till now all strength was ebbed, and from 

his limbs 
Unwillingly the spirit fled away. 
Regretting the warm mansion which it 

left, 855 

And youth, and bloom, and this delightful 

world. 
848. Slack. Relaxed. 



84 SOHRAB AND RUSTUM. 

So, on the bloody sand, Sohrab lay dead ; 
And the great Eustum drew his horseman's 

cloak 
Down o'er his face, and sate by his dead son. 
As those black granite pillars, once high- 
reared 860 
By Jemshid in Persepolis, to bear 
His house, now 'mid their broken flights of 
steps 

Lie prone, enormous, down the mountain 

side — 
So in the sand lay Rustum by his son. 

And night came down over the solemn 

waste, 865 

And the two gazing hosts, and that sole pair. 

And darkened all; and a cold fog, with 

night. 
Crept from the Oxus. Soon a hum arose. 
As of a great assembly loosed, and fires 
Began to twinkle through the fog; for 

now 870 

Persia fnT>f5 ,/^^^^'«H^-) An ancient king of 
Peisia to ^^hom the city of Persepolis, the ruins of 
which are now known as the " Forty Pil ars " was sud 
posed to owe much of its splendor. ^ 



SOHRAB AND RUtsx JM. 35 

Both armies moved to camp, and took their 

meal ; 
The Persians took it on the open sands 
Southward, the Tartars by the river marge ; 
And Eustum and his son were left alone. 

But the majestic river floated on, '^^^ 

Out of the mist and hum of that low land, 
Into the frosty starlight, and there moved, 
Rejoicing, through the hushed Chorasmiaix 

waste. 
Under the solitary moon — he flowed 
Right for the polar star, past Orgunje, ^^^ 
Brimming, and bright, and large; then 

sands besfin 
To hem his watery march, and dam his 

streams, 
And split his currents; that for many a 

league 

830. Orgunje. (or' goon-je.) A small town on the 
Oxus not far from the city of Khiva. 

Note how the author has made of the river a poetical 
setting for his story. Thus the transitory nature of all 
human activity is emphasized by the tranquil river, 
which flowed through the plain long before there were 
Tartar hosts to pitch their camps beside it. and which 
will still flow on undisturbed long after Mongol and 
Persian have paused away. 



86 SOHRAB AND BUSTUM. 

The shorn and parceled Oxus strains alohg 
Through beds of sand and matted rushy 
isles — ^^ 

Oxus, forgetting the brigat speed he had 
In his high mountain cradle in Pamere, 
A foiled circuitous wanderer — till at last 
The longed-for dash of waves is heard, and 

wide 
His luminous home of waters opens, bright^^ 
And tranquil, from whose floor the new- 
bathed stars 
Emerge, and shine upon the Aral Se?.. 



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